Am I Covered by Benefits?
What do the different designations mean?
Everyone on our team is a registered counsellor.
To see if we are covered, check with your insurance benefits provider. If your plan says you are covered for a registered therapist/counsellor or a clinical counsellor, then we should be covered. However, I recommend always double-checking with your insurance provider. If your plan specifically says counsellors require a Master's degree or PhD, then we are not covered by this plan.
Counsellors hold different designations. Some have been trained through the academic route and some are trained through competency (professional training, diplomas, and experience). Regardless, meeting with a designated counsellor is important. Designations mean that we are registered with a governing body and we follow the Ethics and Standards of Practice of this body, including paying annual fees and meeting competency requirements.
So what do the different designations stand for?
RTC (Registered Therapeutic Counsellor)
These are our Associate team members.
- registered with the Association of Cooperative Counsellors and Therapists of Canada(ACCT),
- meets the standard level of qualifications as specified by the association, and
- has a minimum of 200 direct client contact hours and 40 clinical supervision hours which may include practicum experience, and/or paid or unpaid work experience in a counselling-related capacity conducted within the last five years
RTCc (Registered Therapeutic Counsellor - Candidate
These are our Trainee Associate team members.
- registered with the Association of Cooperative Counsellors and Therapists of Canada(ACCT),
- a counsellor working towards attaining a full RTC designation, and
- has a minimum of 100 direct client contact hours and 20 clinical supervision hours which may include practicum experience, and/or paid or unpaid work experience in a counselling-related capacity conducted within the last five years
MTC (Master Therapeutic Counsellor)
These are our Senior Associate team members.
- registered with the Association of Cooperative Counsellors and Therapists of Canada(ACCT)
- has a minimum of 1000 hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified supervisor and has attained a minimum of 50 clinical supervision hours post-graduation by a qualified supervisor